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‘Water was red’: Hawaii surfer recalls costly shark attack

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii surfer Mike Morita woke up early and planned to get a few waves in before going to Easter service with his wife. Morita, 58, headed to his regular spot locals call Kewalos, known for reliable waves over shallow reef near the mouth of a harbor not far from downtown Honolulu on the island of Oahu’s south shore. “The water was crystal clear,” he said, noting how it was already bright at 6:15 a.m.He was lying on his stomach on his board after riding a few waves when he felt a bite on his right leg.“The sheer strength of it, I knew right away it was a shark,” he said Wednesday from his hospital bed. “In that critical moment, I went to God.” He prayed for the shark to free his leg as the pressure intensified and the creature thrashed about. “I kind of surprised myself that I went straight into prayer,” he recalled. But he didn’t pray to stay alive: “The whole time, I never thought I was gonna die.” “God wanted me to fight, so I started beefing,” he said,...

Feyenoord beats Roma 1-0 in Europa League quarterfinals

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

Matts Wieffer’s second-half volley helped Feyenoord beat Roma 1-0 in their Europa League first-leg quarterfinal match Thursday.Oussama Idrissi set up the goal in the 54th minute by breaking down the left before providing a precise cross for Wieffer in a victory that was a sweet revenge for the hosts.The game was a rematch of last year’s final in the the inaugural edition of the third-tier Europa Conference League, which Roma won 1-0 for coach Jose Mourinho’s fifth European title.Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini wasted a golden opportunity two minutes before halftime, hitting the post of Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow’s goal from the penalty spot.Roma forwards Paulo Dybala and Tammy Abraham both left the game because of injuries.Manchester United hosted six-time champion Sevilla in the quarterfinals later Thursday. Juventus faced Sporting and Leverkusen played Belgium newcomer Union Saint-Gilloise.EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUEWest Ham’s perfect record in the Europa Co...

Tampa Bay Rays tie MLB post-1900 record for 13 consecutive wins at a season’s start, beat Boston Red Sox 9-3

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays tie MLB post-1900 record for 13 consecutive wins at a season’s start, beat Boston Red Sox 9-3.Source

Review: A showcase for William Prince’s noble baritone

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

“Stand in the Joy,” William Prince (Six Shooter Records)Singer-songwriter William Prince played a couple of songs at a recent solo set in Nashville, Tennessee. Looking out at an admiring audience, he allowed himself a slight smile.“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “This is going about as well as I hoped.”Career momentum is building for Prince, a Canadian fluent in Americana. He has gone from performing in Manitoba coffee shops to making his debut in February at the Grand Ole Opry. Now comes a fine new album, “Stand in the Joy,” which showcases his noble baritone and balladry.Built like a logger, Prince has a disarmingly warm, gentle delivery so commanding he need not raise his voice and rarely does. He and ace producer Dave Cobb keep tempos modest and accompaniment uncluttered, with acoustic guitar the instrumental anchor.Prince, raised on a Peguis First Nation reservation, draws on his roots for material. He sings about the rumbling reaper, fending off heartbreak with drinks and a s...

Scotty Bowman embracing hockey retirement role

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — When Scotty Bowman left the Chicago Blackhawks a year ago, he was open to taking another job.During the course of this season, the 89-year old Hall of Famer discovered not working for a team can be a good thing.Now, the record-holding, nine-time Stanley Cup winning coach is ready for his next chapter.When asked if he is now unemployed or retired, Bowman said with a smile, “I’m retired.”Retired, but not slowing down.Bowman remains active in the game, even after his departure as a senior adviser with the Blackhawks where he won the final three of his five additional Stanley Cups as an off-ice official.A longtime regular at Tampa Bay home games, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois made sure Bowman kept his parking spot in the player’s lot and regular seat in the second row of the north press box.Whether it is Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery seeking Bowman out pregame in the media room, Calgary Flames coach Darryl Sutter sitting down with h...

'Careless actions' of homeowner may have caused Park County wildfire

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

PARK COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) -- The Park County Sheriff's Office says criminal charges will be pursued in the Badger Creek Fire.The fire started on Wednesday near Hartsel and burned 41 acres. The fire is fully contained, but fire crews are monitoring hot spots. Smoke may still be visible in the area.The sheriff's office said that after an investigation, they believe the fire was the result of a homeowner's careless actions on their private property, which were in violation of the fire ban. Fire danger: These areas are under a red flag warning The fire spread quickly and out of control due to the dry weather conditions.No structures were lost in the fire, but the sheriff's office said a firefighter suffered superficial burns during the response but did not require further medical attention.Stage 1 fire banPark County is currently in a Stage 1 fire ban. During a Stage 1 fire ban, the following are prohibited:Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire except within a ...

Florida Legislature passes 6-week abortion ban, DeSantis supports

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature on Thursday approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a proposal supported by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares for an expected presidential run.DeSantis is expected to sign the bill into law. Florida currently prohibits abortions after 15 weeks.A six-week ban would give DeSantis a key political victory among Republican primary voters as he prepares to launch a presidential candidacy built on his national brand as a conservative standard bearer.The policy would also have wider implications for abortion access throughout the South in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year overturning Roe v. Wade and leaving decisions about abortion access to states. Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi have banned abortion at all stages of pregnancy, while Georgia forbids the procedure after cardiac activity can be detected, which is around six weeks.Democrats and abortion...

Rescue crews work to save residents affected by severe floods in Fort Lauderdale

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

Residents in Fort Lauderdale were pulled to safety after severe floods affected Broward County. Most South Florida residents had never faced a flooding emergency like this one.“We were hit last night with a deluge of rain,” said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Chief Michael Kane.Parts of Fort Lauderdale woke up under several feet of rain Nearly a third of the year’s worth of rain fell only on Wednesday. Entire neighborhoods are now under water.Residents were trapped in their homes as firefighters use boats in the rush to rescue the most vulnerable ones, which included kids and dogs.Traffic was also a big problem for residents who tried to resume their lives Thursday morning..This road near Atlantic Shores Boulevard looked more like a parking lot and flooding along Marina Mile Boulevard just off of Interstate 95 in made for a traffic nightmare for morning commuters.Official have an important call.“Please continue to stay off the roads,” Fort Lauderdale Mayor...

Gov. DeSantis issues State of Emergency for Broward County following severe rainfall and flooding

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

Hours after South Florida was hit with unprecedented showers and thunderstorms, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency for Broward County.As a result, the Florida Department of Emergency and Management deployed staff to support local officials throughout the county. https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1646599973876781059?s=20Rainfall totals of 4-8 inches have fallen over southeastern Broward County and northeastern Miami-Dade County, with the heaviest rainfall amounts of 15-25 inches estimated through the Fort Lauderdale metro area.Other state efforts include:Department of TransportationFDOT is pumping flood waters at multiple locations including the New River Tunnel (US 1).FDOT is providing maintenance of traffic for roadway closures and working with Broward County on traffic signal outages.FDOT has posted messaging to digital signage advising of the airport closure and road closures caused by flooding in downtown Fort Lauderdale.FDOT is activating damage assessment ...

Drug busts in Mass. & RI lead to 13 arrests, seizure of massive amounts of methamphetamine, other substances

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:22 GMT

Authorities executing nearly 20 search warrants across Massachusetts and Rhode Island Thursday morning arrested over a dozen suspects as local and federal officials busted a “large scale” drug trafficking operation, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office.The DA’s office announced the arrests of 13 suspects as part of a multi-agency investigation involving federal, state and local authorities over the course of two years.According to a news release from the office, the investigation culminated in 19 search warrants being executed Thursday in communities that included Framingham, Worcester, Lawrence, Ashland, Peabody, Northbridge and Woburn, Mass., as well as North Smithfield, Rhode Island.Arrested were 13 suspects across eastern and central Mass. who now face numerous drug-related charges. The arrests and charges include:Sandy Marte-Caraballo, 34, Woburn, charged with: Trafficking Fentanyl, Trafficking Cocaine, Trafficking Methamphetamine...